Bethesda’s Starfield is easily one of the best RPG games to come out this year, offering players a fantastic level of freedom when it comes to what to do and how to do it. This freedom, though, comes at quite the cost. You’re going to have to do a little exploring if you want to take full advantage of what this game has to offer you. For example, there’s a quick and easy way for your to boost the Starfield Piloting skill without risking your ship. As one of the best Starfield skills out there and an important one to level if you want to unlock access to the best parts in the Starfield ship customization options, this is really worth knowing.
Highlighted by content creator ‘JuiceHead‘ on the eve of the full Starfield release date, players looking to take advantage of the Piloting skill can actually boost their rank-up progress without risking their own neck through the United Colonies’ Vanguard Pilot Simulator. You can find this in the MAST building in New Atlantis, Jemison. This is a building opposite The Lodge on your Starfield map and one you’re guided to in the first couple of Constellation quest missions. So, you should be able to find it quite easily.
As you can see below, all you need to do is head into the MAST building’s main lobby and head to the elevator. From here, you should be able to select the Vanguard Pilot Simulator. If not, you will need to start following up on the specific Starfield UC Vanguard faction quests – the first couple should be enough to unlock the full suite of faction bonuses, including the Vanguard Pilot Simulator. This is also a great way of learning what actually happened to Earth in Starfield – the United Colonies Orientation Hall has it all.
Once you’re in, all you need to do is play through the Vanguard Pilot Simulator. The Piloting Skill requires players to kill enemy ships in combat to rank up – provided you also have a few Skill Points spare – and this is a fantastic way to do that without risking your own skin out in space. Starfield’s legendary ships will humble any hotshot pilots out there, so this is also a great way to hone your skills – regardless of whether you explicitly want to level up your Piloting skill or not.
As something essentially locked behind the United Colonies’ Vanguard questline – which might not sound as exciting when compared to the Starfield Crimson Fleet faction quests – it’s easy to miss. But, you only need to complete your orientation after signing up to gain access to it.
If you’re not sure about Starfield, even now, you can find out more about our experience with the game by reading our Starfield review. You won’t find too many spoilers when it comes to which Starfield characters are worth keeping tabs on, though – don’t worry.
Bethesda’s Starfield really is a behemoth, but, it’s a behemoth with some things worth knowing about – like this easy way to boost your Piloting skill. You can fly to planets without using Fast Travel, for example, but you’ll be disappointed when you arrive at them. Starfield’s poncho lovers are making Star Wars Jedi’s Cal Kestis in the character creator, but your actual in-game model might leave a lot to be desired.
Still, there’s so many secrets to find – just like this one in MAST. You can check out some of our favorite Star Wars easter eggs hidden away in Starfield right here and – if you want to use your newly-earned skill as soon as you can – you can check out some of the best custom Starfield ships right here.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.